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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A few more thoughts on the Pack's Monday night win

A couple random thoughts about the win and more...

The Pack's jury-rigged offensive line did not allow a sack on QB Aaron Rodgers. This, despite the fact that the ViQueens were supposed to have the best defensive line in the league. You know, with the half-ton of Williams' in the middle and the $75-million-man, Jared Allen, on the end. Guess what? Allen never got close to putting his helmet in Rodgers' spine, as Allen said he was looking forward to; Chad Clifton -- despite a couple of false starts -- took care of Allen this year as he did last year when Allen was with KC. Cliffy made Allen a non-factor. The Williams' also weren't much of a problem. In fact, not only did the Packers' O-line not allow a sack on Rodgers, they also were able to generate a 5.4 yards-per-carry average. Granted, a good chunk of that came on the late 57-yard run by Ryan Grant. But still...a very good first effort. Get ready of the penalties...and get Scott Wells back at center (as he is expected to be this week) and this is as solid a line as the Packers' could hope for. A key element of this line has been the ability to rotate players. But special kudos need to go to Jason Spitz, who filled in capably at center for Wells. In this regard, he's picking up right where he left off last year when he started games at all three of the interior line positions. You can read a good article on Spitz here.

Ryan Grant is still bothered by a sore hamstring. Yes, he rushed for 92 yards despite not seeing any action in the preseason. But he was reportedly sore at halftime and was being told by coaches and trainers on the sidelines not to go full speed. No doubt he'll be rehabbing and nursing this for a while. If Brandon Jackson can break off a few runs and ease the load on Grant that would be a help until Grant is fully recovered.

For any fans interested, there are apparently still about 4,000 tickets available for Sunday's game between the Lions and Packers in Detroit. If not sold out by tomorrow afternoon, the game could be blacked out in the Detroit TV market. Apparently, losing to the Atlanta Falcons on the road doesn't give long-suffering Detroit fans much incentive to see them also lose to the Packers in their home opener. In fact, they already seem to be in a win-or-else mode after one game. Check out the Lions' dire straights here.